Chick flicks. They are sometimes the essential need for a night that is intended to include crying, tons of Kleenex, and feelings of sadness or regret. Other times they are viewed as inspirational messages for some that need a feeling of encouragement or a chance to see that there really is true love somewhere out there. Even for them. A third type of chick flick exists and it is the one that dives deep into the world of relationships but relies on humor and laughs to bring about the tears and hearts filled with emotions, but in more subtle ways. Obviously you can tell that I am not totally against chick flicks, but that isn’t to say I’m in love with them either. You have my word that there will be no tears shed throughout this review from any of us.
Andie Anderson (Kate Hudson) is the hot columnist for a women’s magazine called Composure, and her columns are all about the hottest trends in everything. She’s the “how to” girl and gives advice about all things that women need to know how to do in today’s social world. Her latest assignment is brought to her by way of helping her dear friend and she must take on the task of dating a guy and getting him to dump her in ten days. Seems like an easy enough assignment, but the hard part is finding the right guy to date and show the door to.
On the other hand, we have Benjamin Barry (Matthew McConaughey) who is a hotshot advertising executive that is right on the verge of landing one of the biggest deals of his career. He has some stiff competition, though, as two female co-workers feel they have the upper-hand in getting this new client so a friendly wager is laid out on the table. They bet Ben that he can’t make a woman fall in love with him in ten days, but if he can then he gets this new account. Being as confident in himself about women as he is about advertising, Ben takes the bet and sets out to find his latest victim. Little does he realize that the “woman of his dreams” also happens to be looking for the “man of her dreams” and her name is Andie.
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is one of those extremely predictable films that you can’t help but know what is going to happen. I’m sorry, but it’s true. I’m not going to come right out and spell it all out for those of you that don’t want it ruined, but if you just sit back and think about it for ten minutes then I’m more then sure you’ll figure it out. There’s a slight monkey wrench thrown into this well-oiled love machine though and it is a tad hard for me to totally figure it out. You see, here is a predictable love story that is easy to read hours in advance yet I ended up enjoying it a lot more then perhaps I should have. Maybe it was Kate Hudson’s insatiable charm or the fact that Matthew McConaughey wasn’t a complete moron here, but something about How to Lose kept me entertained.
There is a love story to be found here no matter how shallow the water may be to wade through in order to get to the point. There are a handful of talented people included in the cast that know how to deliver some great one-liners along with making true love appear believable between two total strangers. There is even a great amount of funny moments that keep on coming when you think it is getting just a tad too sappy. Let’s not forget that everyone who watches this film can also probably relate to many things that happen to both Ben and Andie or have probably even done them themselves. Watching Hudson make herself at home by throwing little mementos of herself all around the apartment is priceless. McConaughey’s look of disgust and irritation when he slaved over a great meal only to find out she is a vegetarian is priceless.
Yes, the horror guru is recommending a chick flick because it is more then that and deserves to be seen now. Even though I’m sure by the end of the year that it will be appearing on TBS or TNT ad nauseum.
The film is shown in 1:85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen format and it looks perfectly fine. All colors come through bright and crisp without any problems.
The film is heard in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and it actually comes through extraordinarily well. All dialogue can be heard nicely and a great soundtrack fills the room through the surrounding speakers.
Audio Commentary – Director Donald Petrie is flying solo for this commentary track and my good God, this is horrible. Petrie is overly boring and I found it incredibly hard to pay much attention to anything he was saying because of how drab and dull he is. Not that listening to McConaughey’s voice for long periods of time is a good thing, but I would have rather listen to him ramble on for two hours here than listen to Petrie for even ten minutes. Alright, alright, alright.
How To Make A Movie In 2 Years – This is a very basic featurette that touches on how the book was adapted for the screen. Some of the differences are pointed out as well as the similarities. Nothing exciting but worth checking out. (16:54)
Why The Sexes Battle – The cast and crew give their opinions on the male and female genders and why they are always at each other’s throats. (5:01)
Girls Night Out – The authors of the book have a little random conversation. Seriously, that is about all it is. (5:17)
“Somebody Like You” Music Video by Keith Urban
Deleted Scenes – A handful of cut scenes that actually saw a few humorous ones here and there but nothing that really would have done anything for the finished film which was already pushing two hours. (9:30)
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is one of those films that was recommended to me by a close friend so I snagged it for review. It was never something that I had intended to watch but after checking it out, I’m glad I did and need to give credit to my friend for she deserves to be thanked here. The film is somewhat predictable, but it has a great amount of humor to keep things rolling along and entertaining. Sadly the Blu-ray release is not the greatest because the special features are so lackluster and almost completely unnecessary. None of them really stand out whatsoever and honestly the disc would have gotten a higher score had they not been included. How to Lose is one of the funnier chick flicks and is definitely worth checking out as a rental or maybe when the price goes down because the film is great but the extras need to get lost…in like ten seconds.
Paramount Pictures presents How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Directed by: Donald Petrie. Starring: Kate Hudson, Matthew, McConaughey, Adam Goldberg, Michael Michele, Shalom Harlow. Written by: Kristin Buckley, Brian Regan, & Burr Steers. Running time: 116 minutes. Rating: PG-13. Released on DVD: August 25, 2009. Available at Amazon.com
